Japan's Niigata Prefecture declares war on 'ferocious' raccoons as critters destroy crops, buildings

Nearly 50 years after an animated television show triggered a craze for raccoons as pets, one prefecture in Japan is declaring war on the critters now seen as pests.

Prefectural authorities in north Japan's Niigata prefecture are stepping up efforts to eradicate raccoons because the critters destroy crops, damage buildings and infrastructure and endanger native species. Japan has labelled raccoons as an invasive alien species since 2005, and some 80 per cent of temples across the country have suffered damage at the paws of raccoons.

Niigata has seen a sharp increase in raccoon captures in recent years. The first raccoon was caught in 2010, followed by a second in 2014, but that figure rose to 10 in 2020, the last year for which the prefecture has provided statistics.

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Niigata's local authorities are conducting a survey across the prefecture to obtain an estimate of raccoons that are now residents of the prefecture and their preferred habitats. A control plan will then be drawn up with recommendations, as the prefecture attempts to prevent the 120 million yen (US$865,000) worth of crop damage in Hokkaido Prefecture in 2020 caused by raccoons.

Niigata prefecture has also issued a list of recommendations for anyone confronted by raccoons, instructing people not to approach them, to dispose of edible waste carefully and to spray routes frequented by the animals with vinegar or other repellent. Anyone who finds a raccoon living in their roof should use smoke to smoke them out or call in qualified pest exterminators.

Kevin Short, a naturalist and professor of cultural anthropology at Tokyo University of Information Studies, agrees that something has to be done to reduce the trail of devastation that raccoons are leaving in their wake - although he believes eradication will be a tall order.

"These animals do not belong here and they are causing a lot of problems, but it's really not their fault," he told This Week In Asia.

Imports of juvenile raccoons began soon after the first "Rascal the Raccoon" cartoon was aired on Japanese television in 1977. Based on an autobiographical novel published in 1963, the fluffy creature's adventures convinced thousands of parents that they would be the perfect pets for their own children, with as many as 1,500 raccoons imported into Japan every year.

"It did not take people long to realise that they do not make good pets at all," said Short. "When they are fully grown, they are ferocious and because they are wild animals they cannot be trusted around children."

With a voracious appetite and unsuited to being caged or allowed to roam free around a small Japanese home, many owners soon realised their mistake. And like other exotic pets that have similarly gone on to become listed as invasive species - such as snapping turtles, mink, mongoose, crayfish and rats - the raccoons found themselves dumped in nearby forests.

Raccoons, known for their adaptability, soon acclimatised to forest living and were determined to be living wild in every one of Japan's 47 prefectures by 2008.

"People did not have the moral fortitude to kill their pets and I'm sure they still felt an attachment, but taking them to the countryside and releasing them just caused new problems," Short added.

"They reproduce very rapidly, they are very adaptable to their environment and they are inquisitive and intelligent," he said. "They are not picky about what they eat, so it can be household garbage, fruit and vegetables from farms or freshwater crabs and shrimp, worms, insects and frogs."

Japan's native "tanuki" raccoon dog has also been marginalised, being forced out by more aggressive invading species as they naturally lack aggression and "cannot compete" with invaders, Short said. And he is not optimistic that Niigata will be successful in its campaign.

"There have been successful eradication campaigns against invasive species in the past - the mongoose in Amami-Oshima and Okinawa - but those were islands and getting rid of raccoons from Niigata will just free up more territory for others from neighbouring areas," he said.

It seems that Japan has not learned its lesson when it comes to exotic pets. Wildlife experts are warning consumers not to buy Asian small-clawed otters that now have a fan base after people saw them in zoos across Japan. These creatures consume as much as 20 per cent of their body weight every day, are difficult to tame, have a powerful bite and require large areas to swim and run.

This article originally appeared on the South China Morning Post (SCMP).

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